Şehîd Şahîn Qereçox, known as Waka to his many friends, was sadly martyred in the fight against Daesh in Hajin on 6th October. He had been serving in the YPG, fighting for the revolution in Rojava for 4 months. For as long as I’d known him he was a loving comrade and a true revolutionary. I’m still struggling to find the words to describe him – he was so thoughtful and creative he defied simple generalisation. Whatever I write will merely scratch the surface of what he meant to me and so many people. (more…)

Memorial video for the anarchist internationalist fighter of Rojava Haukur Hilmarsson (Sahin Huseyni). Sehid Sahin has fought against I.S. (DAESH) in Raqqa and martyred while he was defending Afrin from Turkish State’s military invasion.

Erdogan – the stray dog from the Bosporus – will come to Berlin on September 29 and become a terrorist legitimized through the German state government. The warmongers and fascists will meet to resolve further deals on the “refugee issue”. While the arms industry pops bottles and the Federal Republic of Germany grants arms exports into the billions, innumerable people are dying in this war. This is the reason for us to disturb, sabotage, and attack this state visit. Not all of us are facing this destruction deedless. Our signs of rage and resistance reached as well our international comrades, who will fight with us on the day the fascist is coming to Germany. Shoulder to shoulder against fascism! Down with Erdogan and his fascist collaborateurs! For freedom! (more…)

No to State, No to war. Yes for self-administration and the Social revolution

Immediate call to all our comrades Anarchists and Libertarians wherever they are

A direct and special call to our comrades Anarchists and Libertarians Arabic-speaking

No to State, No to war. Yes for self-administration and the Social revolution

For years and years we, anarchists and libertarians in Iraqi “Kurdistan”, Europe and other countries all our publicities and our slogan have been about Yes for self-administration in everywhere and for all the communities, but No to State.

We raised our voice against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its very recent scenario of referendum on “independent Kurdish State”. We are very sure the other anarchists among Arab, Turkish, Assyrian and others had the same attitude. We also believe the same attitude from our anarchist comrades throughout the world to say no to State, authority, nationalism and to be against the nationalist and against pro-fascist war. (more…)

Two activists Markéta Všelichová and Miroslav Farkas were arrested on the 13th of November 2016 while attempting to cross the Habur border crossing from Turkey to Iraq. They were accused of participating in terrorist activity in Northern Syria and taken into custody.

On the 2nd of August they were sentenced to 6 years and 3 months for belonging to the Kurdish defence forces YGP/YPJ (these non-state kurdish groups are fighting Daesh/ISIS, the turkish army which has been repressing Kurds for several decades, and the dictatorial regime of Bashar Al-Asad).

Markéta had been to Rojava twice, according to her own words she joined the defence forces and fell in love with the region and its specific cultural and political situation. This time she and Mirek were on their way to Rojava, where they planned to set up a field hospital for fighters and civilians, and eventually help with defence, as she says herself. Together they made a campaign before their big journey, during which they wanted to acquire the necessary material, while also not being afraid to make lectures about life, fighting and revolution in the region. These public activities also probably raised the interest of Turkish agents.

In an interview Markéta said she feels with people, who risk their life in the fight against evil, that she would like to help Rojava with anything it needs, and that she realizes that as a European she has greater possibilities how to get involved and help. A bit my own way, but with them, as she said. (more…)

People’s Protection Units (YPG) volunteers, American Michael Israel (27) from Colorado and German Anton Neshek (Zana Ciwan), were killed by Turkish warplanes on 29 November according to another international volunteer fighting alongside the pair against the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS/ISIL), north of Raqqa. [updated].

On his Facebook page, the international volunteer, who was amongst the group killed by Turkish warplanes wrote:

“We were taking a small village when we got hit by Turkish jets in the night. Two of my friends, Anton and Michael were killed among many others. I’m staying to finish out my six months. Fuck Erdogan and Fuck Turkey.”

1st of OctoberA minimum response on the call-out for the day of Rage against the massacre at Aleppo.

Even if there are only ruins left at Aleppo, the bombings haven’t stopped. Even now, after 5 years of bombs and sieges, people still live in this city. Some because they didn’t manage to leave, some because they didn’t see a better future at Mediterranean’s seabed, some because they refused to abandon the revolution against the dictatorship of Assad, that started with the Arab Spring. At Aleppo’s ruins a guerilla warfare is taking place, that until now, Assad with Hezbollah, Iran and Russian military machine haven’t achieved to defeat.

If the things that happened with the repression of Spanish Revolution by Franco and the Nazis were the rehearsal of World War II, probably the war in Syria is an image of the post-industrial future on earth. A future, where the democratic excuses collapse and the absolute violence prevails. A world, that despite the gigantic military power of the tyrants, the most effective way to control the insurrection is still by division. A situation of despair, where people in order to defend themselves and survive, are organized in groups manipulated by generals, who only seek more power and who lead the revolting crowds away from the fight against the regime and into a fight for control of the war zones of their interests.

The result is a constant war, a profitable business for the capitalists, who sell weapons and armament to war zones, where trade and economy still exist.

The example of Syria’s punishment is a clear warning to everyone in the world, who even thinks about revolting.

In this chaotic total war, the reference point for us, are the few guerilla groups, organized outside the control the “moderate Muslims” of Al Nusra, or the “cosmics” of the FSA, who are both manipulated from the dominant powers of imperialistic competition, like USA, and both have the same target, a big piece from the power reallocation.

In a situation where people are cruelly attacked from one imperialist, and seek safety from the actions of its rival, we are affected by some revolutionaries, like the Leon Sedov Brigade, who stand against any imperialist and propose the solidarity and unity among the repressed of this world. We are inspired from the attempts of organization from the Revolutionary Coordination Committees against the dividing of the uprising, from the manipulant organizations.

Those rebels who try to self-organize in a battlefield with bombs and chemical weapons, who are still fighting despite the heavy losses, who prefer to die rather than surrender to the murderer Assad, who define and defend their freedom at all costs, they spread the message that in every condition struggle is possible, if there is the will to fight.

They spread a message that the powerful military machines of Al Assad, Iran, Lebanon, Isis, Russia and USA haven’t achieved to defeat them for more than 5 years.

That explains the cruelty of the attack to Aleppo, the capital of revolution. After smaller towns were besieged and lead to starvation, the same tactic was attempted at Aleppo. But there were dynamic demonstrations where banks were expropriated, actions outside the guidelines of the army parties, which control the masses. That’s why Aleppo is now being totally destroyed.

A major factor for the ongoing slaughter in Syria is the absolute absence of social resistance to this war, from the people of the imperialistic countries that invaded Syria.

European people, not only they do not react to the war, but the majority consent to the closure of the borders for refugees, who, if they survive from the death in the sea, are the only fighting, like the great example of Syrian refugees in Paris who went on hunger strike, demand the termination of the war.

We don’t have a clear picture of what happens in movements in the rest of the world, but we are going to talk for the Greek case. Because after all, the economic crisis and poverty here in Greece, except from radicalizing parts of the people, lead more to the pacification. On the one hand we have people who take care of the refugees, rescuing them with their boats, independently from political parties and non-governmental organizations, and on the other hand there were beatings, fascist attacks and actions against the refugees. No big anti-war demonstration though, as happened in the past, because now economy is the only concern. Using it’s left mask, Syriza combining fear management and harsh repression, lead social resistances, in general, to surrender. And now Greek state is placing refugees to concentration camps, obeying the demands of the European Union. Sadly, the solidarity to the refugees is limited to charity, without any reference to the revolution, that lead to war.

For the lefts, the “anti-american” feelings and the belief that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” doesn’t allow them to stand against Assad, while the majority of the anarchists, lacking analysis, refer exclusively to Rojava.

At the same moment, refugees give their own fights like the uprising in Moria, where after destroying a large part of the infrastructure, they escaped, but rather than run, as usually happens, they gathered and demonstrated, resulting their arrest.

In our opinion, we seek the expansion of the solidarity to the refugees, in a more general context, that will regard the war in Syria as an example of an uprising and how capitalists dealt with it, in order to be able to exclude the proper conclusions from it.

It’s obvious, that the unity of the rebels doesn’t come from the big, centralized, hierarchical organizations, that end up fighting each other for the biggest share of power. The only hope is a horizontal organization, that doesn’t allow to any ambitious leader to sell the fight. The decentralized network of collectives that fight with their one will to a common direction, coordinating when possible, exchanging information, know-hows, arms and political ideas.

The views that see hierarchical organization as a necessary condition to achieve victory in a revolutionary war, were tried in the past and were lead to defeat or to the reproduction of the same social systems that they hypothetically fought.

The example of Syria, where small guerrilla groups and no centralized armies stand against the Russian military machine and the alliance of local armies, proves that what is missing is not the proper leadership, but a new mindset of organization. And that applies to every field of organization of revolutionary action, whether it is guerilla warfare, or the spread of revolutionary ideas, that do not persuade anyone because they are signed by the biggest federation, but are spread through initiative, close human contact, and co-action.

The massacre in Syria won’t stop, unless we do something to stop it.

Unless we face it as a part of the repression that we all have felt. If we don’t feel the tenacity of the rebels who don’t surrender. If we don’t realize that the distance from suffocating because of tear gas in demonstrations to the endless gas chamber of Syria is short. As long as we abstain from the streets, we give our permission to this bloodshed.

When captivity and death become universal condition, we are called to make insurrection and solidarity a universal condition.

ISIS and Turkey FileThe Democratic Self-Administration of Rojava Foreign Relations Commisssion
Introduction
It is not a secret to any observer the relationship between Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with all the armed groups in northern Syria. It began in Ras Alain and did not end in Afrin. The AKP’s arguments revolve around changing the Syrian regime, bringing democracy to Syria, protecting Christians and Sunnis and unifying the country. These arguments have proven to be mere pretexts used by the AKP to intervene in Syria. The only goal of the AKP is to fight any democratic project for the future of Syria. To achieve this, the AKP has co-operated with the so-called Islamic State (Daesh) through providing training, supplying arms and facilitating the crossing of Daesh fighters to Syria through its borders.

Here are some compelling evidence for this cooperation through documents and confessions obtained by the People’s Protection Units (YPG) throughout their operations in Rojava – north Syria.

Kongreya Star is a confederation of women’s movements throughout the region of Rojava, a predominantly Kurdish area of northern Syria, also referred to as West-Kurdistan. While Kurds make up the majority of Rojava and most of the population is Muslim, the area is home to many different peoples, including Arabs, Assyrians and Ezidis, as well as a large Christian minority and many other smaller groups. One year after the Syrian Civil War began, Rojava declared its autonomy from both the Assad regime and the various other armed organisations active in the war.

The women’s movement in Rojava was founded in 2005 and originally called Yekîtiya Star. Under the fierce oppression of Bashar Al-Assad’s Ba’ath regime, women in towns and villages across the northern areas of Syria began to come together and organise themselves, creating a strong basis for the confederated women’s movement.

On 24 August 2016 Turkish Special Forces together with elements of the so-called Free Syrian Army started a cross-border offensive against the Northern Syrian town of Jarablus. According to official statements by both, Turkish officials and representatives of the FSA, target of this offensive is Islamic State as well as Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG).

It was clear from the start that only Kurds would be targeted. During the last 5 days not a single confrontation took place between Turkish/FSA forces and ISIS. But from the beginning YPG and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – the most effective forces on ground against ISIS – are being attacked by Turkish state forces.

The first day of the ‘Euphrates Shield’ operation, what Turkish officials have called an ‘assault on Islamic State and YPG terrorists’ as result of Turkish shelling of Kurdish majority neighborhoods in the east and west of Jarablus, at least 49 civilians have been killed. (more…)

On 15 August 2016, a military coup d’etat was attempted in Turkey. Within a few hours, heavy weaponry tank and plane attacks killed over 260 people and injured hundreds. State forces bombed many public institutions, including the parliament, and opened a helicopter fire over the civilian people. This chaos experienced, indeed, keeps repeating in Turkey since the formation of the nation-state over the course of past 200 years.

The denial of truths in society and the politics of annihilation executed by power holders present the root causes of his chaos. The denial and annihilation politics are experienced as wars, deaths, tortures, impoverishment, coups and fascism in the society. When the possibility of a life in freedom and dignity diminishes, resistances, conflicts, and wars culminate, where the resisting people have the final say in history. (more…)

For more than 2 months there is a hard war going on in the area of Minbiç. Minbiç is a very strategic for the control over Rojava; it connects Turkey with the headquarters of ISIS, Raqqa. This area is important for the protection of Rojava and the democratic autonomy in Rojava. To be able to create a federal Syria where people of all ethnicities and religions can live in peace together, the liberation of the area of Minbiç is very important. In Rojava since four years a system of democratic autonomy exists. This model is an alternative to wars and instability in the Middle East. It offers the opportunity that all people can live together based on equality, freedom of women, ecology and democracy.

It is a well-known secret that Turkey supports ISIS and will do anything not to lose control in this area. If the area of Minbiç is freed of ISIS, it will open the road to connect the three cantons, which is a nightmare and opposed to the politics and objectives of Turkey. ISIS and Turkey are not only connected by political and economic interests; they are quite close in ideology and practices as well. Because this area is so important for the control in the Middle-East all hegemonic powers are present in this war. There are conflicting interests between the hegemonic powers which impacts and intensifies this war. It is possible to conceive the war in Syria and in Kurdistan as a third world war, where it is the main aim to imply a new division in the Middle East. (more…)

The International Freedom Battalion is an armed group consisting of leftist foreign fighters fighting alongside the People’s Protection Units in the Syrian Civil War in support of the Rojava Revolution and against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.